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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

2010 Fairmount Park Mountain Bike Permits Available

All mountain bike and equestrian trail users over the age of sixteen (16) are required to have a permit on the upper trails of Wissahickon Valley Park and Pennypack Park.

Users are encouraged to obtain a permit for all other Parks. Permits are required when using: bicycles, horses, carriages, horse-drawn vehicles and other non-motorized, wheeled vehicles.

Fee - The cost for permit registration is $20.00 for non-residents of the City of Philadelphia. A minimum $20.00 donation to support the trail program is requested from Philadelphia residents.

Volunteer opportunities are available almost every Saturday and Sunday, and regularly during the week. Contact our volunteer coordinators for the Wissahickon at 215-685-0120 and 215-685-0119 for the Pennypack.

5
comments:

What the hell! Even I could RUN faster than that! That limit is absolutely ridiculous and just about bans having fun while riding your mountain bike or any bike while in any part of Fairmount Park. The way the rule is written (on the permit page and in the main rules & regs page), it doesn't make a distinction between mountain bike trails, Forbidden Drive or the SRT.

Also:

"- No person may ride a bicycle or horse in the park between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m."

Now I found this only on the permit page and I'm cool with it as long as that just applies to biking that requires a permit. However, if it applies the other routes in the park that are critical bicycle transportation routes (Forbidden Drive, SRT) then its a problem.

The 7 MPH speed limit is not enforced, so you don't have to worry about going too fast. Just be careful and don't go blasting through blind corners.

The ban on night riding is because riding at night disturbs wildlife. I'm not sure but I think that the ban does not apply to Forbidden Drive. Even if you are not allowed to ride on Forbidden Drive after 10 PM, I don't believe that there is any enforcement of the policy.

During the winter there is a curfew for several months because there are sharpshooters in the park culling deer.

Last spring park rangers were checking for permits on the weekend and handing out tickets.

What happens if City residents refuse to pay the "minimum requested donation"? I pay thousands of dollars a year, and have done so for the past fifteen years, to the city in taxes--a higher percentage of my income than i would in any other major city in North America. Why the hell should I pay again to use my own park? Je refuse.